Since the Sin of the Spies was perpetrated by the leaders of the generation, in order to rectify their sin, today’s Diaspora leaders must rally their congregations and constituents to come on Aliyah. All Rabbis, teachers in Jewish schools, presidents of synagogues, chairmen of Jewish organizations, leaders of the RCAs, OUs, NCSYs, AIPACs, ADLs, Bnei Briths, Hadassah Chapters, Emunah Women, Jewish writers, pop stars, movie directors, and Jewish comedians must all speak out in a clear voice that the time has come to bid farewell to gentile lands and lovers, and come home to the Land of Israel.

For leaders of Diaspora Jewry who try to refute the truth of this call by saying, “Who is a mere blog writer to tell us what we should do?” we answer with the words of the Torah giant, Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal. He was one of the respected leaders of Orthodox European Jewry before World War Two, the head of the Beit Din in Budapest. Witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust, he discarded his fierce anti-Zionist ideology, and wrote a brilliant scholarly treatise on the vital necessity for Aliyah. To continue our celebration of “Book Week” in Israel, we will take a peek at his revolutionary classic, “Eim HaBanim Semeichah,” with the recommendation that it be studied by every Jew who cherishes the truth and who truly longs to serve God.

Rabbi Teichtal writes:

“Furthermore, my brother, know that in order to rectify our ancestors’ sin, everything must be exactly as it was then. At that time, the leaders of the congregation spread evil propaganda against Eretz Yisrael. Therefore today, as well, the leaders of the congregation must propagandize for the sake of Eretz Yisrael in order to pay off their ‘bad debt.’ They must be the first ones to open the nation’s eyes. They must explain that there is no reason for us to remain in the foreign, impure, and polluted atmosphere of the Diaspora, nor to expend our energies in vain while the gentiles rob the fruits of our labor from before our very eyes. The leaders must speak to the people in this fashion and arouse within them a fire and a spark of love for our desirable Land. This alone will make of worthy of Redemption.

“This follows the words of our mentor, the Or HaChaim. He writes that Israel’s leaders throughout the generations will be held responsible for the fact that we are still in exile, because they should have inspired the Jews to love Eretz Yisrael. The leaders of the generation must inspire the Jewish People to help bring the Redemption closer by using the natural means that God has prepared for us. We are not worthy enough for it to occur with manifest miracles, rather only with miracles disguised in seemingly natural events, as in the days of Cyrus.

“I know that the humble ones who separate themselves from the building effort do so for the sake of Heaven. They fear that they and their children may be harmed by joining people whose ways have strayed from the path of the Torah. Behold, we can say about such people that although their intentions are acceptable, their actions are not, for many reasons. First of all, the prophet Yeshayahu said to King Chizkiyah, ‘Do as you are commanded! Why do you involve yourself with the Merciful One’s hidden matters?’ The same applies here. All Jews must be united in order to fulfill the positive commandment of the Torah of building and settling the Land. This cannot be accomplished individually. Therefore, do as you are commanded! Further, no harm will come to a Jew who participates in this great and exceedingly lofty mitzvah. On the contrary, if a large number of Orthodox Jews join in, they will enhance the sanctity of the Land, as I previously cited in the name of the holy Rebbe of Gur and the Ramban. Since we are commanded to build the Land and raise it from the dust, it is forbidden to be overly pious and undermine this endeavor, God forbid. Rather, we must build with whomever it may be and concentrate on enhancing the sanctity of the Land. Then Hashem will assist us.

About the Author:Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Creativity and Jewish Culture for his novel "Tevye in the Promised Land." A wide selection of his books are available at Amazon.

The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Jewish Press.

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7 Responses to “To the Leaders of Diaspora Jewry – Come on Aliyah!”

So please tell me how to come when I am old and crippled and poor. Then people who are suppposed to.help do not want you if your not young or wealthy. LAW OF RETURN IS A JOKE. This is not how your supposed to treat Jews.

If one is presently receiving or is in need of social services, he should not base his decision on Aliyah on the criteria of nefesh b'nefesh founder and rich philanthropist Tony Gelbart who set the Aliyah criteria for young people who have financial backing.

FYI, after having working in both social services systems in America and in Israel, I can say that Israel has a much better system plus the people are treated with greater respect and are given more support. This is not a joke. It's your life and your choice.

@Daniel Ben David Have u tried going to the Israeli Embassy/Consulate in your City and speaking to them about making Aliyah? Have you spoken to NBN & have they denied you assistance?
Misrad HaKlitah helps everyone make Aliyah… be honest w/them.

@Tzvi Fishman Thank you x 100! I've been waiting for such an article in a mainstream orthodox media! Yashar Ko'ach for stating the facts and fearing to tell the LEADERS what they should have heard and done decades ago! GREAT ARTICLE! UNFORTUNATELY, those you need to reach, most likely don't read the JP! Check out R' Pinchas Winston's incredible "music video" re: Geulah b'Rachamim on YouTube:

When Israel is Pluralistic and accepting of ALL Jews; and allowing their own standards to define themselves as Jews and stop saying everyone must be Chareidi, then the vast multitudes of Jews living in the Diaspora will feel it is a place they could live and more importantly, a place they'd want to live. Let me be clear. The majority of Jews in America are Reform Jews and would not be accepted as Jews in Israel today. Here in America they are accepted as Jews. Why would they want to live in Israel where they would not be considered Jews and would not be given any rights under the law of return? Israel needs to have a separation of synagogue and State and allow each group to function under their own mandate and standard. I know this is tough for Chareidim to take and many will answer me with angry words calling me all sorts of names like Heretic, Epikorus, a Shanda, a clean shaven joke and the rest of the names that go along with that primitive ritual folks do when their Kailim have been shattered by a greater light. But, there is a reason for this– and that reason is " you can't handle the Truth." Let the games begin Chabibi!

In all the years (and this week it’s exactly 14 years) since our daughter was murdered, we have not found a single Arabic-language post, article, tweet or speech condemning that attack in the center of Jerusalem or the killings.